A low-slung minivan eases out of Dubai at dawn and the highway unfurls toward Abu Dhabi—salt-bright light on the sea, low palms, and a skyline that grows like a city assembling itself. The first stop is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: white marble courts that cool underfoot, filigreed columns that catch the sun, and a silence that makes the marble almost audible. Later, the road slips past the gleaming dome of Emirates Palace, pauses for a quick photograph outside Ferrari World’s red roof, and slows along the Corniche where the Arabian Gulf seems to dare you to step closer.